ONE LINER OF THE DAY 31st May 2018.

1.India has been placed at 113th position in the list of 175 countries in “End of Childhood Index 2018” indexed by global child rights group, Save the Children.Singapore and Slovenia are placed at the top sharing the first place in the index and Niger figures at the end of the list at 175.

2.The two-day thematic seminar on Water and Sanitation began in Pune, Maharashtra on May 31, 2018.The thematic Conference on Water and Sanitationis one of the eight events being organized by the Ministry of Finance and 7th in the series in a lead-up to the AIIB’s 3rd Annual Meeting which is scheduled to be held in June 2018 in Mumbai.

3.Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 3 Indian mobile payments apps namely international Rupay Card, Bhim app and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in Singapore during ‘Business, Innovation and Community Event’ where digital platform was the main theme.The launch aimed at internationalisation of the country’s digital payment platforms. These financial remittances are for Indian diaspora in Singapore.

4.The First biannual IAF Commanders’ Conference of 2018 was inaugurated by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) on May 31, 2018.

5.Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has become the face of Central Railways’ anti-trespassing campaign.Trespassing on railway tracks is a major cause of deaths on Mumbai suburban rail network.Central Railway has launched an initiative ‘Ek Safar Rail Ke Saath’, where celebrities will share their experience about Indian Railways and their journey in a short film. At the end of the film, they will give a message for railway commuters.

6.UNICEF and Odisha State police have joined hands for the state wide campaign on creating awareness about importance and role of every member of society in preventing child sexual abuse, need for reporting and need for trauma care.The campaign titled, ‘Paree Pain Katha Tiye’ (A word for the little angel) was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.The Minister flagged off 15 vans modified as ‘Paree Express’ that will cover all 30 districts of the state during the campaign from May 28 to June 12.

7.The biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise is scheduled to be held from June 27 to August 2, 2018 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California as announced by The Pentagon (United States Department of Defense).RIMPAC, which is the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, will witness over 26 countries including India and 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnelThe theme this year is “Capable, Adaptive, Partners.”Four countries — Brazil, Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam — are participating in RIMPAC for the first time.

8.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $375 million (Rs 2,529 crore approximately) loan for a project to improve irrigation in Madhya Pradesh to help double farmers’ income.The project will expand irrigation networks and system efficiency.

9.Yes Bank has signed an MoU with  Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to become the preferred financial institution to extend banking facilities to small and medium enterprising (SME) customers of SIDBI.The MoU is a formal agreement between YES BANK and SIDBI to channelize various banking solutions to SMEs by extending YES BANK’s banking solutions to these SMEs.

10.India and World Bank has signed $ 500 million loan agreement to provide additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project. The project, which is being implemented by Ministry of Rural Development, will build 7,000 km of climate resilient roads, out of which 3,500 km will be constructed using green technologies.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 30th May 2018.

1.Paraguay gets first interim woman President Alicia Pucheta for the first time in its history after outgoing leader Horacio Cartes stepped down ahead of schedule.

2.Moody's Investors Service report has cut India's GDP growth forecast to 7.3% in 2018, from the previous forecast of 7.5% due to higher oil prices and tighter financial conditions.

3.The Gujarat government unveiled its 'Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy' which aims to reduce the state's dependence on freshwater sources like the Narmada river. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel launched the policy at a function held in Gandhinagar. The policy will promote the use of treated wastewater and will see the setting up of sewage treatment plants (STP) in all major towns and cities of Gujarat.

4.Top Indian discus thrower Vikas Gowda retired after competing at the highest level for more than 15 years, during which he became the first and only Indian male to win Commonwealth Games medal in the discipline.

5.The Gaj Yatra campaign was flagged off by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Brand Ambassador Ms Dia Mirza at an event organised in Meghalaya. WTI and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, formally launched the unique campaign.’Gaj Yatra’, a “journey celebrating India’s national heritage animal”, aims at securing 100 elephant corridors across India.

6.The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognized Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport. CIAL is India’s first airport to be constructed in public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala.

7.Accepting deposits and making loans and advances to public is not fall within the functions of the Reserve Bank of India.

8.Financial inclusion is where individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services by Banks or other Financial Institutions that meet their needs that are delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.

9.Ways and means advances (WMA) is a mechanism used by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under its credit policy by which to provide to States banking with it to help them to tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of their receipts and payments. This is guided under Section 17(5) of RBI Act, 1934, and are '..repayable in each case not later than three months from the date of making that advance'.There are two types of WMA – normal and special. While Normal WMA are clean advances, Special WMA are secured advances provided against the pledge of government of India–dated securities.

10.Export-Import Bank of India is the premier export finance institution in India, established in 1982 under Export-Import Bank of India Act 1981. The Headquarters of EXIM Bank in Mumbai.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 29th May 2018.

1.Child rights activist and Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and space scientist A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), were given ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian Award’.The award was presented by the President of India.

2.India has signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for USD 21.7 Million for strengthening the public financial management in Rajasthan project.The project aims to contribute to improved budget execution, enhanced accountability and greater efficiency in Revenue Administration in Rajasthan.It also involves strengthening of expenditure & revenue systems and project management among others.

3.International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed every year on May 29 to pay tribute to all men & women who have served & continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations.Theme of International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2018 is UN Peacekeepers: 70 Years of Service & Sacrifice.

4.India’s envoy to Russia Pankaj Saran has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor.Ajit Doval is the National Security Adviser.

5.Power Minister R K Singh has launched web portal and App called PRAAPTI.‘Praapti’ stands for ‘Payment ratification and analysis in power procurement for bringing transparency in involving of generators’.It aims to bring transparency in power purchase transactions between Generators and power distribution company- Discoms.

6.The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and the Wildlife Trust of India rolled out the ‘Gaj Yatra’ from Tura, Meghalaya.It aims to raise awareness about the shrinking space for India’s wild elephants & the importance of securing elephant corridors.The event involves taking an elephant mascot across districts frequented by jumbo herds for generating awareness among the people.

7.A MoU has been signed between the Women and Child and Development (WCD) Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government for managing a shelter home for widows in Vrindavan.The MoU shall be in force for a period of two years.According to the MoU, the UP government shall be responsible for activities including setting up mechanism for identifying beneficiaries and other norms.

8.India has concluded price negotiations with Russia for a nearly Rs 40,000 crore deal to procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for the Indian Air Force.S-400 Triumf can detect, track & shoot down multiple targets including cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, aircraft, drones & UAVs.S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

9.The food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department of Himachal Pradesh has launched a mobile app for ration card holders.The app will function as a digital ration card and beneficiaries can open it on their android phones to make transaction at fair price shop, submit complaints and suggestions and contact department officers.This app is available under the name of ePDS.

10.Goa attained full statehood on 30th May 1987 and became India’s 25th state.Daman and Diu were separated from Goa and continue to be administered as a union territory.Earlier, Goa was a union territory, namely, Goa, Daman and Diu for all administrative and governance considerations.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 28th May 2018.

1.Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte launched the ‘Clean Air India Initiative’ in Delhi.The campaign aims to curb air pollution in Indian cities by promoting partnerships between Indian start-ups and Dutch companies.The Clean Air India Initiative is a project between Get In The Ring, a platform for start-ups, the Government of the Netherlands, Start-up India, and INDUS Forum.

2.Queen Maxima of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who is also the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India.During Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to India, the former became an official partner of the International Solar Alliance.

3.Chennai Super Kings lifted their third Indian Premier League title after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Mumbai.Shane Watson’s century helped Chennai to defeat Hyderabad.Shane Watson was declared as Man of the Match.

4.China has invited the Iranian President to participate in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit being organised in June 2018.The summit will be the first after the inclusion of India and Pakistan as members of the organisation in 2017.Iran, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Belarus have been granted observer status.

5.Akshay Kumar launched an advertisement campaign for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).The campaign was launched at a Collectors Convention for Toilet Technology.The campaign focuses on promoting the twin pit toilet technology in rural India.The advertisement campaign launched  is an effort, supported by the World Bank.

6.India and other key members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will discuss ways to combat growing protectionism across the world at an informal meeting of select Trade Ministers at the OECD meet in Paris.India has been invited to participate in the informal Ministerial meeting hosted by Australia in Paris.The OECD meet is taking place between May 31 and June 3.

7.National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) executive Sudha Balakrishnan has been appointed as the first chief financial officer (CFO) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Balakrishnan, a chartered accountant, was until recently a vice-president at the NSDL, India’s first and largest depository.She will be the 12th executive director at RBI, and will serve a three-year term.

8.Delhi Daredevils wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was named Emerging Player of IPL 11.Sunil Narine also picked up two awards — Super Striker and Valuable Player.Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson (735 runs) got the Orange Cap while Kings XI pacer Andrew Tye (24 wickets) got the Purple Cap.

9.The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to promote organic farming in a big way and plans to adopt an integrated approach for promoting organic and zero budget natural farming system.The government has introduced ‘Prakritik Kheti Khushhaal Kisaan Yojana’ (PKKKY).PKKKY will enhance agricultural income by adopting low-cost climate-resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming System.

10.The BCCI and UN Environment have signed an agreement to promote ‘green’ Cricket in India.The partnership aims to spread greater awareness about key environmental challenges facing the country, and highlight alternate and more sustainable solutions.The partnership will also focus on phasing out single-use plastic across stadiums in the country.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 27th May 2018.

1.Lebanon’s Saad Hariri has won a new term as Prime Minister after he won the backing of the majority of parliamentarians.It will be 3rd term for Hariri, who has held the position since December 2016 and was also Prime Minister between 2009 and 2011.

2.The Rustom-II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which is being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will be delivered to the armed forces by 2020.The drone is being developed for use by all 3 services of Indian Armed Forces, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.It can fly at around 280 km/h and carry a variety of payloads.

3.Japan’s women clinched the Uber Cup, the Womens World Badminton Championship, defeating Thailand 3-0 in Bangkok.It ends an Uber Cup drought for Japan that stretches back to 1981.

4.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 1st phase of Delhi-Meerut Expressway.The Delhi-Meerut Expressway would be India’s first 14-lane highway.The expressway will do away with 31 traffic signals on the Delhi-Meerut road, the busiest highway in the region, and make it “signal free”.

5.Ministry of Home Affairs has created a new division to deal with all issues of women safety in coordination with relevant ministries, departments and state governments.Punya Srivastava has been appointed as the Joint Secretary to head this division.The division will deal with all schemes under NIRBHAYA fund and Crimes against women, SCs & STs, 

children & elderly persons among others.

6.Colombia has decided to formally join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).With this Colombia becomes the 1st Latin American nation to join NATO as a global partner.Colombia will join as a global partner, which means it will not necessarily have to take part in military action & will be fully accredited in Brussels.Other global partners include Mongolia, Iraq, Japan & Pakistan.

7.Real Madrid have claimed yet another Champions League title by beating Liverpool FC 3-1 in the final.It is the third consecutive year that Real Madrid have won the tournament and the fourth such in five years, taking their total tally to a record 13 titles.

8.Manipur has become the 1st state in Northeast & the 3rd state in India to have solar toilets.It was inaugurated at Ibudhou Marjing hill Heingang by Tourism Director, Waikhom Ibohal.The solar panel, connected to the toilets, absorb heat to generate power & are efficient to transform waste material.Besides Manipur, these toilets have been installed in Tamil Nadu & Andhra-Pradesh.

9.The first edition of the Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany from September 25-28, 2018.The event will provide a platform for experts from across the globe to discuss innovative and green technologies for harnessing wind energy making.India is the fourth largest country after China, US, and Germany in terms of wind energy installation capacity at around 33 GW.

10.Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the 1st phase of 2400MW Patratu super thermal power project in Jharkhand.The project is a 74: 26 joint venture between Government of Jharkhand and Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, a subsidiary company of NTPC.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 26th May 2018.

1.Government has reconstituted the Financial Stability and Development Council to include secretaries from the revenue department as well as Ministry of IT.FSDC was set up in 2010 by the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.The council comprises RBI Governor, SEBI Chairman, finance secretary, and secretaries in the departments of Economic Affairs, Financial Services and Corporate Affairs.

2.The 15th Finance Commission has constituted a high level group to explore and give recommendations for a balanced expansion of the health sector.The group will be headed by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria.It will suggest ways to optimize the use of existing financial resources & to incentivise state governments’ efforts towards fulfillment of well-defined health parameters in the country.

3.MobiKwik has announced the launch of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its platform via its own Virtual payment address (VPA) handle @ikwik.Users can simply scan and generate UPI QR functionality to send and receive money using VPA and phone number from the contact list.MobiKwik is the first in the industry to offer UPI access to a huge base of three million merchants on its app.

4.Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman Sushil Chandra has got a one-year extension up to May 31, 2019.He took over as chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in 2016.

5.Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2018 will be organised by Ministry of Culture in Tehri, Uttarakhand under the Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat.It is the 19th edition & will be organised from May 25-27 2018, with its important thrust being presenting uniqueness & rich diversity of Indian cultureTehri Lake Festival will be a part of RSM 2018, where Uttarakhand Tourism organizes water sports for people.

6.Urja Ganga Natural Gas Pipeline has been extended till Guwahati by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), the city will get gas pipeline by 2021.The 721-km pipeline project will connect Dhamra, Barauni, Paradip and Hadia and will extend to Guwahati.This is a 3000 crore project and would also be be extended to other Northeast locations, operational from 2023.

7.India will be the host country for this year’s celebrations of World Environment Day.World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5th.This year’s theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution: If you can’t reuse it, refuse it”.World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972.

8.Maharashtra, Manipur & 5 union territories have rolled out intra-state e-way bill system for movement of goods worth over Rs 50,000 within the state.With this, the number of States, where the system is being implemented will go up to 27.E-Way Bill is an electronically generated document which is required to be generated for the movement of goods of more Rs. 50,000 from one place to another.

9.PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first highway to be lit by solar power in Bagpat, Uttar Pradesh.Eastern Peripheral Expressway is 135 km long, stretching from Kundli on NH 1 to Palwal on NH 2.

10.Prime Minister Modi & his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Bangladesh Bhavan in Santiniketan, West Bengal.Bangladesh Bhavan features a museum that showcases renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore’s association with that country, the Liberation War of Bangladesh & Indo-Bangla relations.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 25th May 2018.

1.China has successfully tested its first drone-carried meteorological data monitor to undertake atmospheric observations.Dropsonde also known as meteorological data monitor will gather data such as temperature, humidity, and wind direction and transmit them to ground receiving devices in real time.

2.HDFC Bank has launched its Digital Loans against Mutual Funds in partnership with transfer agent CAM.Customers will be able to leverage their mutual fund portfolio to avail funds for any emergencies without liquidating their investments.The ticket size of the loans will range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1 crore at an interest rate of 10.5 -11%.

3.Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore will inaugurate the ASEAN India Film Festival in New Delhi on May 25, 2018.It will be a platform for people of the film industry of member countries to explore areas of cooperation in domain of cinema & cultural cooperation.The tagline of the Festival is proposed to be ‘Friendship through Films’.

4.The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in Manipur.The varsity will be spread over 325 acres in Imphal West district with a cost of Rs 524 crore.

5.An NGO, Singchung Bugun Community Reserve, won the India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the category of ‘Conservation of wildlife species’The NGO bagged the prize for its unique endeavor & contributions towards conserving the rare wildlife resources of that area.The prize was presented by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change & was conferred by National Biodiversity Authority.

6.Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 was presented to INSV Tarini Team in Delhi by Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister of Women & Child Development.Team comprising of 6 Lady Officers, led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi from Indian Navy received the award from the Minister.Tarini is a part of Navika Sagar Parikrama, a unique project of Indian Navy which promotes ocean sailing activities in the Navy.

7.Armies of both the nations, India and Nepal will conduct a 2-week long military exercise ‘Surya Kiran’ in Uttarakhand.The focus of the exercise will be to enhance cooperation in conducting counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

8.HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched Samagra Shiksha scheme for school education from pre-school to senior secondary levels.The scheme focuses on improving quality of education, enhancing learning outcomes & using technology to empower children & teachers.The scheme will enhance the use of digital technology in education through smart classroom & digital boards.

9.Actor Sushant Singh Rajput will promote 2 major initiatives of NITI Aayog – BHIM app & the Women Entrepreneurship Platform.BHIM is a payment app that lets users make simple and quick transactions using Unified Payments Interface.Women Entrepreneurship Platform is a unified access portal which brings together women from different parts of India to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations.

10.UNICEF has launched a ‘data visualisation app’ which provides a user-friendly visual representation of complex analytics of the education scenario in the country.The app has been made with technical inputs from UNICEF, in collaboration with NIEPA and NCERT.UNICEF aims to provide humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 24th May 2018.

1.The 71st Session of the WHO’s World Health Assembly will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 21 to 26 May 2018.The WHA will be attended by delegations from all WHO Member States, the Indian Delegation will be led by Union Health Minister of India, J P Nadda.The theme chosen for World Health Assembly 2018 is “Health for All: Commit To Universal Health Coverage.”

2.Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation has introduced VIKALP scheme for passengers in wait-listing to provide berth in another train.Under the scheme, passengers from all classes & trains can select 5 trains, however, the scheme does not guarantee a confirmed berth.Passengers should be prepared as they can be shifted to another train leaving even 12 hours prior to the booked one.

3.India’s status as a major defence partner of the US and strong US-India strategic partnership was affirmed by both nations at the Argentina Meet.Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires, the 2 nations discussed the agenda for the forthcoming 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.India and US also discussed opportunities to advance stability in Afghanistan.

4.Flights”, a philosophical rumination on modern-day travel by the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk, won the Man Booker International Prize for works of translated fiction.The Man Booker International Prize is awarded by the same organization that gives the Man Booker Prize for fiction.It is for a single work of fiction that has been translated into English and published in the United Kingdom.

5.Elina Svitolina defeated Simona Halep 6-0, 6-4 in the finals to successfully defend her Italian Open crown.The win marked Elina Svitolina’s 12th career title on what was her eighth final in succession.Svitolina, the world number 4, has now successfully defended 3 career titles, in Baku, Dubai and also Rome.She also won in Brisbane and Dubai this season to take her 2018 title total to 3.

6.Power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has appointed Pravin L Agrawal as the part-time official director on its board.

7.New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as BRICS Development Bank, is planning to launch its Americas Regional Office in Brazil.It will increase operational capabilities of NDB and facilitate identification & preparation of bankable projects in Brazil.NDB is mandated to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS & other emerging economies.

8.The government’s Bank Note Paper Mill India (BNPM) has received green signal to increase the production of bank note paper at its Mysuru unit in Karnataka.The production of bank note paper has been increased from 12,000 tonnes per annum to 16,000 tonnes per annum.The raw material used for manufacturing of currency paper is 100% cotton sourced from neighbouring countries.

9.NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that Indian economy will achieve 9% growth rate on sustained basis by 2022.Reforms like GST, Demonetisation and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code will help in achieving this ambitious target of 9%.He said that the Indian economy grew by 6.6% in 2017-18 and expected to grow at 7.5%  this fiscal.

10.Gobind Singh Deo, an Indian-origin Sikh politician in Malaysia, has become a cabinet minister.He is the first member of the minority community in Malaysia’s history to be appointed as a minister.He has been given the communications and multimedia portfolio.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 23rd May 2018.

1.International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated annually on May 22 to make people aware of the importance of biodiversity issues.Theme chosen for International Day for Biological Diversity 2018 is “Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity”.

2.India has moved one notch higher, to the 44th place in terms of competitiveness, in the annual rankings compiled by International Institute for Management Development.US is the most competitive economy globally followed by Hong Kong and Singapore in the second and third place.India is ranked the 12th most competitive economy out of the 14 Asian countries on the list.

3.Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was named the most popular athlete in the world as he topped the ESPN World Fame 100 list for a third straight year.Three-time NBA champion Lebron James retained his second spot on the list, while Messi came third.

4.Election Commission will launch multi-lingual mobile application called “Model Code of Conduct Violation Reporting App” ahead of the 2019 elections.It aims to share evidence of malpractice by political parties, their candidates & activists directly with the electoral body.It was made available for the 1st time in Bengaluru in the run-up to the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly polls.

5.ABB India & Niti Aayog have inked a pact to help India reap benefits of new technologies including robotics & artificial intelligence.The two institutions signed a Statement of Intent to work together in preparing key sectors of the economy for digitalisation, artificial intelligence, robotics & industrial automation.The initiative also covers the fast-growing segment of electric mobility.

6.Kerala tourism will soon inaugurate the world’s largest bird sculpture, Jatayu Earth’s Centre, in Thiruvananthapuram.The replica of bird ‘Jatayu’, a character in the Ramayana is 65 feet tall & is positioned right at the top of a rock situated 1,000 feet above sea level.The rock, ‘Jatayupara’, where the structure is based, is the place where Jatayu fell after its wings were slain by Ravana.

7.Indian Navy has conducted an exercise called ‘Prasthan’ in the Western Offshore Development Offshore area in Mumbai.The exercise is held every 6 months & aims at integrating maritime stakeholders, including, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, ONGC, Customs & Port Trust.

8.Paytm has announced a programme called Paytm AshaKiran, which aims at educating rural women about financial services.It will help in creating new job opportunities in small towns & cities of India.In the first phase, the bank has partnered with United Nations Development Program under its Disha project to mobilize self-help groups and organize workshops.

9.India has been ranked 145th amongst 195 nations in terms of accessibility and quality of healthcare.As per the Lancet study, India is behind its neighbouring nations, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh and Bhutan.However, since 1990 lot of improvements have been seen in India. Countries with low scores were Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia and Guinea Bissau.

10.Former South Africa Test captain AB de Villiers has announced his retirement from international cricket.De Villiers made his international debut in Test series against England in 2004.He scored 8,765 Test runs and has a batting average of over 50 in both Test & ODI cricket.AB de Villiers holds the records for scoring the fastest fifty, hundred and 150 in ODIs.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 22nd May 2018.

1.Asha Bhosle will be conferred with the highest civilian award of West Bengal, the Banga Bibhushan, by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies & has sung in over 20 Indian & foreign languages.

2.Bank of Baroda has launched its first integrated SME Loan Factory in Gurgaon to cater the needs of MSME segment in NCR.It will function as a One Stop Shop’ for MSME customers and will provide end to end solutions viz. acquisition, processing, disbursement & relationship management.BoB has also decided to centralize Government Sponsored Schemes loan processing at the district level..


3.Iraq will host a West Asia Football Federation championship in Basra in November 2018, the first international tournament to be staged in the country since the 1990s.Iraq has not played competitive internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.In March 2018, FIFA decided to lift a 30-year-old ban from Iraq on hosting the international football.


4.Justice B N Srikrishna, who heads the committee on framing new data protection norms for India, will chair a panel discussion on governance to be held in New Delhi.The event is hosted by India International Centre (IIC) in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Centre for Policy Research (CPR).The discussion on ‘Future of Governance’ will focus on various aspects related to data privacy.


5.Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has won his 5th European Golden Shoe after his team defeated Real Sociedad in their final La Liga match of the season.


6.Defending champions Indian Women’s Hockey Team lost to hosts South Korea 0-1 in the final match of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2018.


7.National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned LED Solar Street Lighting system for Arunachal Pradesh under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund with a grant of Rs 87.83 lakh.It would be implemented in 4 districts of the state Tirap, Longding, Namsai & Tawang.The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Pema Khandu in presence of NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala.


8.Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro won a new six-year term in what is being seen as a controversial vote.Country’s main opposition coalition, Democratic Unity Roundtable, had boycotted the election.


9.State-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has appointed Pravin L. Agrawal as a part-time official director on its board.

10.The JD(S)-Congress coalition government head HD Kumaraswamy was sworn-in as the New Chief Minister of Karnataka. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kumaraswamy.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 21st May 2018.

1.Haryana government is going to launch Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana for the safety of girls.Under this scheme, all the girl students will get free travel facility from their home to their educational institutions.The primary objective of this scheme is to ensure that the girls feel secure at public places, workplaces and while traveling.

2.In a bid to enhance combat capabilities in Naxal-hit area of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), for the first time, has decided to include local representation in a special unit.The special unit has been numbered as 241 and named as ‘Bastariya Battalion’.All the candidates have been selected from four highly Naxal infested district in Chhattisgarh.

3.Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) has received an award for promoting ease of doing business.TNeGA developed an investor facilitation portal that provides single window clearance to industrial proposals in the state.The award was given in recognition of simplification of procedure and ease with which clearances from various authorities can be procured by a business.

4.Experts in water conservation from across the country will deliberate on ways to rejuvenate the Krishna river at the maiden national convention of the Indian Water Council (IWC) May 22.The Indian Water Council was formed in April 2018 in Rajasthan.The ‘National Convention on Rejuvenation of the Krishna River’, is the IWC’s first event.

5.Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini is all set to complete its circumnavigation of the globe and return to Goa on May 21.INSV Tarini was set out for sail on September 10, 2017 from Goa.It is the first Indian all-women crew to circumnavigate the globe.The expedition titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’, is aimed at promoting women empowerment.

6.Thousands of soldiers with warfighting equipment of South Western Command’s Chetak corps are engaged in intensive training in Mahajan field firing ranges of Rajasthan under exercise ‘Gandiv Vijay’.

7.The revenue department has made Aadhaar and PAN mandatory for persons seeking a customs broker license.Customs broker is a person licensed to act as an agent on behalf of importer/exporter for a transaction of business relating to entry or departure of conveyances or goods at any customs station.The license is issued by the Directorate General of Performance Management.

8.State-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has distributed over 30 crore light emitting diode (LED) bulbs across the country under the ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All’ (UJALA) scheme.The UJALA scheme was launched in January 2015 and is currently the largest LED distribution programme in the world.It is a non-subsidized LED lamp distribution project undertaken by EESL.

9.Anti Terrorism Day is observed every year throughout the country on May 21.The Day is observed to generate awareness in the country among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism and violence and its effect on the people, society and the country as a whole.

10.Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), located in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli District and Kanyakumari District in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 20th May 2018.

1.Russia has unveiled the world’s first floating nuclear power station to meet its growing electricity needs.The ship holds two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that can produce enough electricity to power a town of 200,000 residents.It will be primarily used to power oil rigs as Russia pushes further north into the Arctic to drill for oil and gas and needs electricity in far-flung locations.

2.Jagriti Yatra, an Indian charity that organizes train journeys to understand & build India of smaller towns & villages has won an award in London.It was among a series of worldwide charities and individuals recognized for their impact on their communities at the Asian Voice Charity Awards.It organizes 15-day train journeys, covering 800 km for 400 change-makers across India every year.

3.Romanian tennis star Simona Halep has retained her numero-uno spot in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Rankings.Halep maintains a lead of 425 points over second-placed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

4.Anil Kumar Jha has been appointed as the Chairman-Cum-Managing director (CMD) of Coal India Limited.Anil Kumar is at present the CMD of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.

5.The Northeast Frontier Railway has started operating one lease Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET) on fortnightly basis, connecting Northeastern part of the country to the West Coast.The route of this Parcel Cargo Express Train is – New Guwahati in Assam to Kalyan in Maharashtra.

6.The Northeast Frontier Railway has started operating one lease Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET) on fortnightly basis, connecting Northeastern part of the country to the West Coast.The route of this Parcel Cargo Express Train is – New Guwahati in Assam to Kalyan in Maharashtra.

7.The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a $220 million loan and an $80 million (Rs 544 crore) guarantee for the India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Program.The Program will be implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).This will help scale up the deployment of energy saving measures in residential and public sectors, strengthen EESL’s institutional capacity.

8.PM Modi has dedicated 330 MW Kishanganga hydropower project in Jammu and Kashmir to the nation.Kishanganga hydropower project will provide 13% free power to J&K including 1% for local area development fund amounting to around Rs 133 crore per year.

9.International Museum Day is held every year on or around 18 May, coordinated by the International Council of Museums.Theme chosen for 2018 is “Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics”.

10.Senior bureaucrat Amit Khare has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 19th May 2018.

1.The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of ₹50,000 on Universal Co-operative Urban Bank, Mancherial, Telangana.The penalty has been imposed on the bank as it had violated RBI’s directive and guidelines on loans and advances to directors and their relatives.Urjit Patel is the Governor of Reserve Bank of India which is headquartered at Mumbai.

2.NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has received a lifetime achievement award for his contributions towards promoting brand India in UK.The founder of Caparo Group of industries, Paul was recognised at a UK & Asia Business Awards ceremony, organised by World Consulting & Research Corporation.

3.The Reserve Bank of India has advanced the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting by a day to June 4 and also increased the duration to three days.It is for the first time that the MPC will meet for three days.The six-member MPC, headed by the RBI Governor, sets the benchmark interest rate.MPC was set up by amending the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, through the Finance Act 2016.

4.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has slapped a penalty of ₹ 50 million on South Indian Bank Limited for non-compliance with the directions issued by it.The non-compliance pertains to Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, Know Your Customer norms and treasury function.Further, the bank is also pulled up for deficiencies in its compliance function and compliance culture.

5.The Union Environment Ministry has launched a drive aimed at cleaning 24 beaches and water bodies as well as 24 polluted river stretches in the run-up to the World Environment Day on June 5.The theme of the World Environment Day, to be hosted by India this year, is ‘Beat plastic pollution’.

6.Shivangi Pathak from Haryana has become youngest women of the country to scale Mt Everest.16-year-old Shivangi climbed the Mt Everest to spread the message that women could overcome any obstacle to achieve their goals.

7.US Senate has approved Veteran spy Gina Haspel as CIA’s first female director.She replaces former CIA chief Mike Pompeo who was recently made Secretary of State.Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian foreign intelligence service of US federal government that analyses national security information from around the world.

8.The inaugural National Para Games, on the lines of National Games for able-bodied athletes, will be held under the Khelo India Scheme in June-July in Bengaluru.The Paralympic Committee of India will be responsible for the technical conduct of the Games.All the funding will be done by the Sports Ministry under the Khelo India Scheme.

9.According to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), India’s economy is projected to grow 7.6% in the fiscal year 2018-19, remaining one of the fastest growing economies in the world.This is a substantial recovery from the 6.7% growth India registered in the year 2017.

10.Anamalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and previously as Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu state, South India.